賞味期限

• Reading: しょうみきげん
• Romaji: shoumikigen
• Kanji breakdown: 賞 (shou) — prize, praise; 味 (mi) — taste, flavour; 期 (ki) — period; 限 (gen) — limit
• Pronunciation: /ɕoː.mi.ki.geɴ/

Meaning

Best-before date; expiry date. The date printed on food packaging indicating when the product is at its best quality.

A noun seen on nearly every food product in Japan. Distinct from 消費期限 (shouhikigen, use-by date), which indicates safety rather than quality — food past its 賞味期限 may still be safe to eat, while food past its 消費期限 should be discarded. This distinction is important in discussions about food waste (食品ロス).

Examples

1. この牛乳は賞味期限が明日までだ。 This milk's best-before date is tomorrow.
2. 賞味期限が切れた食品をすぐ捨てるのはもったいない。 It's wasteful to throw away food as soon as the best-before date has passed.
3. 缶詰は賞味期限が長いから非常食に向いている。 Canned goods are good for emergency food supplies because they have a long best-before date.

Usage Guide

Context: food, shopping, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 賞味 (shoumi, relishing/savouring) + 期限 (kigen, time limit/deadline). Literally 'the deadline for savouring' — the period during which flavour is guaranteed.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal